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Blog Entry 2 of 4 Stevyn Ironfeather's Ramblings
Just me rambling on about my projects and interactions with fellow humans in Colorado.

Blog Url: http://denver.yourhub.com/~stevyn

summer tyme in the city.
Contributed by: stevyn IronFeather   on 6/30/2008

The bookshop does not pay the bills so I work for others doing various tasks. Many of these tasks are hard labor.

Denver in the summer tyme is mild compared to Tuscon AZ or even the brutal oppresive humidity of Chicago IL, Lansing MI and Merrimack NH.

But still, it is phreaking hot in Colorado. Today I worked for the fifth day or so outdoors at a building being gutted and redone, for profit of course. So weird.

I don't know the other workers but I always use my manners and say hello and "what is up?"

They all greet me back as they learned manners from their dear mothers as well. We nod, smile, and go about our business.

A man in a business suit walked by, I greeted him also.

I wear a large straw hat to offer me shade. Still, my face and body is tanned deeply. The work is changing me. I feel muscles flexing in my 220 lb. bulk. I wear soiled workers clothing.

The man in the suit completely ignored me, so today when I saw him and didn't offer him a hello. It is just too hot for wasted energy.

The heat causes tempers to flare, road rage to increase, people go to extremes. Fights happen for no reason. While working a man heckled me from the back of the bar next door. His vocal woe was that my work had ended his voyerurism of the woman living in the place upstairs.

My boss was threatened in the bar later.

I feel tensions. The street vibe is either flowing or tensed. Right now with the heat, the economy and the fuel prices, the tension is on edge.

Denver does have meth & coke on the scene I am learning. This is bad news as in gasoline on the fire. I recall talking to Hyapatia Lee during an interview on KGNU. I asked her about her projects... expecting something back about music or animal rights. Instead she spoke of meth/coke problems in Indiana and how she was dedicated to fight back.

I took a break and discarded my trash in a local dumpster and noticed something, a small blade. I investigated. It was a prison style shank. A home made weapon.

My guess is that some one one hid it under the hinge area of the dumpster to recover it later. They abandoned the weapon probably in a low level flight.

I kept it and will frame and display it in my shop. See exhibit A.

The shank is a knife broken so only less than 4 inches remain. the last inch and a half have masking tape around it to protect the handlers fingers, kinda.

It is a weapon of desperation and one of evil. It is meant to hurt, kill, wound.

It totally freaked me out all day long.

and still does.

Today I worked in the sun. Sweat just pours off me. I know this so I bring two huge jugs of water with a bag of gorp and I take frequent breaks to refuel.

I work hard for my money.

The city is tense. I see a man stop, and take a pee openly. Frequently, a person asks me permission to take away any metal scaps in my vincinity. I say yes of course. I am also learning more about the value of metals.

A young man in a "bronco" gear asked for a job today.

On the crew is an electrician, his vibe is one of wisdom, contentment and joy of life.

It is interesting as I don't run into many people that have that "joy of life" vibe and when I do I treasure it. He is really cool, I have no idea who he is but he reminds me of Danny deVito and I mean that lovingly of course.

I work and I think.

The hours of sweating just flow on by.

I am thinking about the status of humanity. The evils, the woes, the injustice. I read of other lands that have things even worse than I do. There is no paradise really. I treasure my simple joys. I work hard to keep my little family going.

I pay my bills, feed my kitty, buy fuel to make it to the radio station. I pay the rent on the bookshop. I am surviving.

Tonight I packed up a turntable, crate of records and my laptop of mp3s and djed at the Mercury Cafe for the anarchist variety show, the LOUIS VUITTON event. It is my third tyme now I think and I do love it. Adam brings all kinds of telent down and it all goes off and is very silly indeed.

As a historical footnote, behind the stage, I must mention that it seems like during every show at least one dear artist is bumped and that s*cks. Last show was my dear DR MEG of KGNU. This show an artist was abandoned who was going to dance to flamingo guitar. Nobody in the audience knows of these things and everything is fine and dandy and the organizers don't intend this to happen and don't like it, but it's real life show biz and sh*t is moving at a very fast pace. Anyways, this is secret history. Unfortunate history.

Tonight I had a guest DJ sit in with me, friend of the organizer. Surprise, she once owned a bookshop in Colorado Springs and also used to be a radio DJ. ha! what are the odds of that? anyways, she was cool and did a great job using her ipod and the rig. I learned that I am useless with an ipod, anyone wanna teach me? my big fingers can't navigate.

Tonight my laptop was acting up! I came close to a panic but remembered i had my one turntable and records, wheew.

I was able to eek out some songs on the laptop via the media player ok. The turntable saved my a**.

Earlier, I was visiting a friend and while relaxing on his back porch he surprised me by playing a mix tape I made him in 1999. I was so happy to hear my old records. I have forgotten how dear they are.

it was also very nice to see friends at the Mercury Cafe!

kelly from zine library, zoey from colorado street medic, mano performed, alex, kelsey, jason, isreal, jordan and other smiling peeps. yay!!

where was bradley??

At the very end, Marilyn of the Mercury, came up to the stage and looked at me and signed the hollywood "slice the throat" meaning "stop the music"

I was shocked as suddenly I remembered the shank I had found earlier.

Oh sweet dear, don't even mimic that!

The organizer asked for one more song. It was granted. He had me play a Whitney Houston song that everyone sang loudly to.

In a few hours I am up and back at the work location. Tomorrow will be very hot again.

I had a day of adventure today, so much happened. I am grateful for my life and the adventures I have. The best part remains when a young man at the work site, wearing a clean white shirt and a black cap approached me saying, "hey man..."

I looked at him with some bit of apprehension. He then handed me an ice cold can of "mountain dew" soda.

A real gift.

I thanked him and went back to work refreshed and happy and all I could think of was how humanity really does have gem(s) among the rough. They so rock! ha

off to slumber, ack.

peace & love & phun

stevyn


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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

stevyn IronFeather

boulder , CO

stevyn IronFeather has posted 4 blog entries and 0 comments since joining on 2/18/2006. stevyn IronFeather 's average blog rating is 5.
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